Underworld: The Bait
by PheonixShadow
Summary: Mafia AU “Ore-sama will be generous.” Atobe turned to Fuji. “Which one do you want.” “Saa, who touched my Ryo-chan?” When Ryoma gets into a little spot of trouble... Thrill Pair/ Slight Imperial Pair


**A/N: Wrote this up a little while ago, and I apologize in advance if it's not so good... I didn't really go over it in detail, so please pardon any mistakes I made. I hope you'll enjoy this, and that it makes sense, this was quite the confusing thing to write. . Originally, I was going to post it a few days earlier as a little birthday present to myself, but I forgot, so think of this as an early valentine's day prezzie to all you Thrill Pair or Prince of Tennis fans out there! :) Enjoy~ this is longer than all my other fics, and maybe, just a little more detailed...**

Disclaimer: PoT characters do not belong to me, no matter how much I wish for them to be...

Summary: Mafia AU Where Ryoma gets bored and let's himself get caught. Set in the shady Underworld, where Mafias and gangs rule the streets, and no one is safe even in the protection of their homes. Ruled by the Three Lords, welcome, to the place of danger, adventure, power... because your name means _everything_.

Pairings: Thrill Pair / slight Imperial Pair

Warnings: Fuji alone should be a warning. :) Characters might be OOC, sorry~

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Bait

"Do you know who I am? You brat!"

Ryoma winced as his shoulder was slammed into a wall. Raising an eyebrow, he turned cat-like eyes towards his attackers. "Picking a fight with someone smaller than you? How cowardly."

Inwardly, he groaned. If he was to return home late, Buchou was going to have his ass! But then again…

A gang of around ten to twenty surrounded him, and a gangly man (obviously the leader) with a scar across one eye stood in the front. Looking at the man's skinny face and spotting the bike tattoo on his fore arm, Ryoma recalled from his vast knowledge of the gangs, that this man was Sho Sakimoto, leader of the Bikers. Sho and his gang were not so high on the power list, but were responsible for many recent problems in the Underworld.

_And sometimes with the worse people_, Ryoma thought. _Oh well, maybe I should let myself become bait…_

"You knocked into my pet here," Sho said, smiling toothily. His right hand man, who Ryoma knew as Mashiro Kanagi, stepped forward carrying a petite (and ugly, in Ryoma's opinion) looking girl.

"Oh really?" Ryoma hummed unapologetically. "Sorry, didn't see you there. I don't make it a habit to notice weaklings."

"Why you-"  
Ryoma groaned softly as he was sent reeling from a strong right hook. This plan might not be so much fun after all, if they were to keep it going. And worse of all, he can't even fight back!

Gritting his teeth, he smirked at the enraged man who punched him. Oh, how he will pay, the infamous "Oso" of the Bikers. Being the main power source of Sho's gang, the brute had a penchant for causing a lot of trouble for the higher-ups by starting brawls, and one too many incidents which threatened to unbalance the Underworld society. Ryoma never understood why someone strong like him would work for Sho, who was really just all talk.

"It's okay, Oso." Sho said. But Ryoma could see his shoulders shaking with anger. "Let us capture him first. Then you can have all the fun you want."

_Good, let him fall for it._ Ryoma resisted the urge to take down the man then and there, bracing himself as the gang rushed forward, brandishing their weapons. _Time to get caught._

Ryoma stared as Sho paced to and fro before him. Yawning, he turned his head to gaze aimlessly at the wall.

"It's ridiculous!" Sho suddenly yelled, coming to a halt. His voice bounced off the walls loudly, an unpleasant screech to Ryoma's ears. "How can this brat carry no weapons whatsoever?" Slamming his hands on a nearby table, he spun around and shouted. "It's suicide in the Underworld to walk out of your home unguarded!"

Ryoma glanced at him boredly. _Doesn't he ever get sick of whining?_ With gangs around every corner, the Underworld was the most dangerous place to be. When everyone is part of a mafia, the fight for survival is a constant thing. Even in the "safety" of your homes, one must be on guard at all times. _But_, Ryoma thought,_ this is the most boring captive situation I've ever been in_.

"All we've found on him was the cell phone, sir." A lowly recruit reconfirmed his previous statement. "No traces of any weapons can be found."

"A phone? A _phone_ is all the brat has? He's crazy!" Sho screamed, pointing at the little red mobile sitting innocently on the table.

_There we go again_. Ryoma rolled his eyes. You'd think that Sho would be glad he had no weapons on him, but of course not, he had to go and act like a Drama Queen. Honestly, how old was this man? Five? Ryoma sighed inwardly. _I hope that some would just give me a call already. This is so mundane. I bet the mother hen is freaking out right now; I was due home two hours ago. I bet those two would be fighting again, and probably not notice, but Buchou, he's going to kill me. Or maybe not, if we manage to bring these guys down…And of course, if _he_ calls…_

The phone rang.

Sho froze and everyone turned to stare at the phone. It buzzed nonchalantly, followed by a short catchy tune. No one moved. The buzz grew steadily louder, and the screen lit up.

"Pick it up." Ryoma said, breaking the silence. _Finally_, he thought. "Don't want to keep my friends waiting, do you?"

Training suspicious eyes on him, Sho moved and flipped the cover open. The accepting tone echoed eerily throughout the otherwise silent warehouse; the headquarters of the Bikers gang.

"Hello?" A soft voice rang out from the phone. "Ryoma?"

Ryoma smirked. _Perfect_. "Syuusuke," he called out, putting a little quiver in his voice. "They're being mean to me, tying me up and-"

"Shut up, brat." Sho snarled. The midget was irritating him to no end! Glaring, he turned to the phone. "Come find us if you want the brat back. He's a pain in the ass!" Flipping the phone shut, he threw it carelessly onto the table.

Ryoma frowned. They were manhandling his phone!

"And who was that?" Sho sneered at the boy. "Your girlfriend?"

"No." Ryoma replied snarkily. "And definitely not like _yours_-"

His head snapped back with a crack, then fell forwards again. To Sho's surprise, the boy started to laugh softly.

"W-What's so funny brat? Finally cracked, have you?" Sho called out, shaking off his stutter. The brat's behaviour unnerved him. To be held captive, unarmed, and still hold such a calm composure to the extent of mocking his captors, who was this guy?

Oso cracked his knuckles menacingly. "Want another one?"

Still chuckling, Ryoma lifted his gaze slightly. An eye of pure gold peered out from behind the curtain of dark tresses.

"Oh, you've just landed yourself in _deep shit_."

"Sure about that?" Oso leaned in close, his breath fanning unpleasantly across Ryoma's face. The young teen scrunched up his nose in disgust and turned away; but Oso was having none of that. He gripped the boy's chine with one hand and forcefully turned his head forward. "You know, you'd make a nice pet, if you weren't so noisy."

Ryoma spat in his face.

The huge man reeled backwards, clutching his eye. "You piece of-"

"What's the name, brat?" Sho asked, stopping his henchman with a hand.

"Like you said, 'brat'." Ryoma replied, deadpanned.

"Don't mess with me!" Sho narrowed his eyes; something did not feel right with the boy being so calm. Ryoma stared at him blankly.

With those _cold, unfeeling eyes_.

"I'm asking you one last time before I let Oso get his way with you. What. Is. Your. Name!"

_Creak_.

Sho whipped around, heart suddenly pounding wildly. What was with this feeling of being trapped? "Who's there?"

A dark chuckle sounded from the shadows. "Why so nervous?" The figure emerged into the light, revealing a slim, toned body. But his face remained hidden in the dark.

"Who are you?" Sho growled, not liking the mysterious stranger. The hair on the back of his neck stood up. He beckoned to his followers and they loaded their guns.

"Where's Ryoma?"

Sho sneered and motioned for the others to step aside. Icy blue eyes slitted open at the sight of Ryoma tied to a chair, glowering at the surrounding men. Ryoma's gaze shifted onto the figure, and he suddenly lowered his eyes. Seeing his precious bound so roughly made the stranger's blood _ache_; it took all his will power to hold back from ripping the man before into shreds. _That bastard…_

"I'm so sorry Syuusuke." Ryoma mumbled. "I let them catch me."

"You poor pet." The sweet voice murmured. Before anyone could react, the stranger had untied the boy and was cradling him against his chest. Arms now free, Ryoma wrapped slender arms around the man's shoulders.

"Syu…" He whispered into the other's shirt.

Within a flash, all guns were trained on them. Sho eyed the slender brunette warily, taking in the almost effeminate appearance. This man was so strangely familiar… "Who are you?"

Cold eyes regarded him sharply. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Ryoma peeked up at the gang leader, gold irises glowing with amusement. "He's my boyfriend, dumbass."

A gentle hand stroked his hair tenderly. "Saa, did they hurt you, Ryo-chan?"

Ryoma tilted his head and gazed at the older boy imploringly, blinking cutely. Even under the dim lighting, the bruising on his face was unmistakable. The normally calm smile turned feral.

"I see."

Slipping a phone out from the sleeves of his jacket, "Syuusuke" passed it to Ryoma. "Ryo-chan, be a good boy and give the team a call. Oishi nearly had a heart attack when he knew what was happening."

"Usu." The boy keyed in a number, nimble fingers dancing across the keyboard. The other boy watched as Sho grew increasingly red in the face.

"Buchou." The call connected. "Yes, I'm with Syuusuke. Yes, I'm more or less alright. We're in warehouse 9 at the Docks." Pause. "Okay. Yes. Bye."

Ryoma hung up. "'Kay."

"Right. Now let's wait shall we/"

"How did you know where we are?" Sho asked. "You were blindfolded the whole way!"

"Hn." Ryoma flicked him the finger. "Someone like you wouldn't have the brains to understand."

Sho had enough. He raised his gun. "You bastar-"

Everything happened so fast. The doors were flung open the same time Sho pulled the trigger, and there was a BANG- as the gun clattered to the floor.

A group of seven framed the doorway, one with a gun in hand. They were imposing figures; Sho's gang backed away as they advanced into the room, barely reassured even with the presence of their guns.

The group continued their steady ascend and stopped when they reached the outer circle around the two males on the chair. The leading man spoke up. "Fuji, control yourself."

"Hai, Tezuka."

"Te-Tezuka?" Sho gasped in recognition. Horror dawned on his features. "Y-You can't be the-"

Tezuka ignored the man, leveling him a glare. "Echizen." The tone softened slightly. "Let Oishi look at your injuries."

Not questioning how his Buchou knew about his other injuries, the boy hopped off his boyfriend's lap, tugging the other by the hand and made their way towards the group. "Hai."

Tezuka faced the Bikers. Sho faltered under the heavy gaze, feeling a little more than intimidated. And the man- no, this _teenager_ was younger than him!

"Seigaku!"

"I'm surprised you didn't recognize Fuji." Inui stepped out from the back, tapping a pencil against his precious notebook. The glossy cover gleamed ominously. Inui's notebook was rumoured to contain the worst of the worst blackmail, so humiliating and embarrassing that the victim subjected to revelation never showed his face again. What was even more dangerous, was his weird kink for inventing drinks. Now, people call them "drinks", but in reality, those foul indescribable poisons could give one bowel infection for months. Sho eyed the book warily and shuffled away.

"But then again, gangs like yours may not be familiar about us." Momo said, grinning broadly at the cornered man before them. "After all, newbies don't often hear about the elite, although they really should have."

Sho wanted to scream, throw something, cry or runaway. He had only heard from snatches of conversations about the Elites, the ruling gangs of the Underworld, as if they were legends, myths, a fact not confirmed. He didn't know whether to believe about these "Lords" or not. Hyotei, Rikkaidai and Seigaku. Not many have seen them, or even known who these power-wielding Lords were, but when seen in person, their presence alone could make a huge man shake.

Sho certainly felt like fainting when Seigaku's Leader pierced him with a stare. He dared not to look into those unfathomable eyes; Tezuka's glasses glinted.

"Since it was Ryoma who got hurt, I think Fuji alone would be a good enough punishment."

"Every smart gang would know to stay away from Fuji's precious little kitten." Eiji chirped. "This just shows how stupid you are, nya!"

In the Underworld, the higher up you are, the more access to information you have, as well as the opportunity to make your gang grow. The Bikers were not considered to even be an official, territory running gang, consisting of only forty people and having only conquered the docking area. In a place as big as the Underworld, Sho's gang was small fry.

"And just who is he to you!" Sho shouted, fuming. His fury seemed to boost his confidence, and the thin faced man regained his initial bravado. He'll show these supposedly "elites" just how powerful of a team he had!

"Out of the infamous Seigaku gang, there should only be eight people." He sneered. "If you're even the real thing. Who is the brat?"

"I told you. I go by 'brat'." Ryoma raised an eyebrow. "What, think I'm lying?"

"Damn you!" Oso raised his gun in defense of his Boss. "Midgets shouldn't talk!"

He fired.

It hit nothing. Ryoma dashed forward, and before anyone could blink, was holding a dagger against the man's throat. Oso could not move; his arms were held in a vice-like grip, and his knees were in the dirt. He struggled to no avail.

Ryoma smirked and drew back, twirling the dagger in his hand casually, as if it was the most natural thing to do. "Hm, guess you didn't find _this_ weapon."

Sauntering back towards his team, he kicked the heel of his shoe against the floor and then the toe of his shoe; another dagger flew out from the soles and Ryoma reached behind to catch it. He threw the blades lazily into the air and snatched them back as they fell in front of him. "Why do you think I wear boots?"

Sho was at loss of what to do. That tiny brat just managed to subdue Oso- _Oso,_ with so much ease, what the hell is he?

"And ore-sama thought that there'd be more action."

All heads turned to the door once more. The silver-haired diva leant against the doorframe, arms crossed coolly. He smiled smugly. "Don't even think of fighting, Sakimoto. We've got you surrounded."

"The K-King.?"

_Everyone_ knew who the King was. Even the ones who recently joined the Underworld. It was an absolute rule of the Underworld, that everyone learnt about the three ruling Lords; the King, the Child of God and the (Captain). These Lords had millions of smaller gangs under their rule, and had a huge boundary of territories. Of course, the Lords were only known by their nicknames, with the exception of Atobe Keigo, who had his face pasted all over the Underworld on super-sized posters.

"We've had our eyes on you for ages," Atobe said, stepping into the warehouse. "But capturing our little baby boy was the deciding point."

"You _know_ the King?" Sho screeched in disbelief.

Fuji laughed. "You haven't realized it yet? Our Buchou here," he poked at Tezuka, "Is the (Captain)."

"You'd better believe that they are the real thing." Atobe commented airily at the petrified man. "Seigaku is one of the Big Three. And as for that brat-"

"Told you I was called brat." Ryoma cut in.

"That brat," Atobe continued, ignoring the interruption. "Is the Elite's baby boy. Even the Child of God favours him. Did you know that?" Enjoying the man's shocked silence, Atobe smirked. "Amongst us Elites, he's called," Atobe paused dramatically.

"The Prince."

"You know why, don't you?" Fuji smiled, eyes wide open. "Why we protect this 'brat'. He is…"

"The Underworld's treasure."

"P-Prince…" Sho paled. "H-He's the son of Echizen Nanjiroh?!"

Echizen Nanjiroh. Viewed by the Underworld to be the King of the Kings, the foremost ruler of this mafia infested society. His first appearance caused a huge uproar; a young, daunting challenger who threatened to overthrow the entire Empire if he wanted to. Nanjiroh had climbed a steep ladder to the top, and established his rule by marrying the daughter of the Ruler at the time. Then, some odd years back, he disappeared from the front lines, instead, allowing the three most powerful Lords to rule in his place. It was along the grapevine that people heard; Nanjiroh's wife had given birth to a child. And that rumoured child, was nicknamed, "The Prince."

Let it be said that the three Lords at that time were not the current ruling Lords, but their predecessors.

"Ore-sama will be generous." Atobe turned to Fuji. "Which one do you want."

"Saa, who touched my Ryo-chan?"

Atobe snorted. "Possessive as always."

Fuji smiled widely. "You know me."

"And you, brat," Atobe said loudly, fixing a haughty stare on the younger boy. "Are too reckless. Such a half-cooked plan-"

"Oh? You're one to talk." Ryoma shot back. "Don't forget, Monkey King, how you barged into Buchou's room-"

"Enough." Tezuka spoke up. A faint tinge of pink appeared on the otherwise stoic face. "Keigo, do what you have to do and _go home_. Echizen, stop calling him names."

"Hai, Buchou."

"Kunimitsu, I will borrow Fuji for a while then." Atobe replied, flipping his hair.

"Oi, Buchou's boyfriend, don't-"

"_Echizen_."

The boy pouted, but fell quiet. Tezuka sighed at their childish antics and returned his focus on the present situation. "Fuji, you clean up the trash with Keigo. The rest of you, we will head back to the base, and make sure," He shot Ryoma a stern glare. "That he doesn't wander off alone again."

Heading out, he paused next to the Tensai. "Fuji."

"Hmm?"

"Don't take too long or Ryoma's going to have my ass." He said quietly.

Fuji chuckled and blew Ryoma a kiss. "I'll see you soon, Ryo-chan~"

"Hn."

The team turned to leave.

"Oh, wait." Ryoma dashed over to the table and picked up his phone. "I'll be taking this back."

"Don't take too long, Syuusuke." He called from the exit. He smirked once last time at Sho. "Mada mada dane."

And they were gone.

"Now," Fuji said, eyes gleaming with malice. He advanced slowly, a predatory grin taking over his face. "Shall we begin?"

Atobe nodded.

~ Owari ~

~ Omake ~

"What did I tell you about going out with no weapons?"

"Buchou, what are you talking about?" Ryoma asked innocently. "I had my daggers, a few shurikens, two poison darts, and…"

"And?" Momo prompted.

"I had my phone."

"How's that a weapon?!"

"Oh, it's my Ultimate Weapon." Ryoma grinned. "You see, the phone allows me to call certain people." He smirked. "Especially one Fuji Syuuske."

Echizen Ryoma's Ultimate Weapon = the Boyfriend.

~ Owari ~

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**A/N And there's that. . Isn't Ryo-chan just so cute? Review if you please!**


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